Enemy Beloved

59 | wedding of dreams

★

C L A I R E

Vaughn: You're late. I'm coming in.

You aren't allowed to see the bride.

Vaughn: Fuck those rules...I want to see you.

No can do.

Vaughn: Fine. After the wedding, you're mine. Get that?

I do

Vaughn: Good. Now get your pretty ass out here. I'm waiting.

Will do

I smile at the phone screen like a giddy teenager getting a love text from her crush. Vaughn's texts never fail to raise the butterflies in my stomach. Every word is like a little spin to my heart. I put the phone on the table near me and glance at my reflection in the floor-length mirror of the dressing room.

This wedding gown is even more gorgeous than the last one. The material is soft and feels like butter under my fingertips. The neckline has a net pattern stitched like flowers and the gown hugs my figure, accentuating my curves. I chose it myself this time and this is the gown of my real wedding. My hair is in a half-up-do with pearl clips keeping it in place.

The make-up artist did my face well. She hid the scars with a lot of white matter and accentuated my other features so that they are the ones noticed the most. It's not like I care about my scars anymore. Vaughn loves me just the way I am but sometimes, it doesn't hurt to keep them hidden and forget the horrors of what I have been through. They are, after all, a reminder of what went wrong.

Behind me, Mom arranges my veil over my head and then meets my eyes in the mirror. She is wearing a pretty peacock green gown with a brooch attached to her shoulder.

"You look so pretty honey," she coos, her hand moving to my stomach. She touches my baby bump lightly. "I bet the baby's happy too."

I hold her hand which rests over my shoulder, smiling back as she touches her cheek with mine. The door behind us opens and Dad walks in, dressed in his midnight blue tuxedo and matching tie attire. He has taken his time today to look as fashionable as possible. I overheard him and Mom comparing each other's outfits before they stepped out to help me. They even giggled like teens about how their outfits kind of complemented each other. Dad made her blush saying that it was because they were soulmates.

"You look stunning, sweetheart," Dad says as I turn over and he holds my shoulders, bending down and placing a kiss on my forehead. When he pulls back, he cups my face, his eyes carrying a satisfactory look. "You're the prettiest."

"Thanks, Dad."

He lets go of me and gives me his arm to hold. "Shall we then?"

I nod, my stomach squirming with happiness as I take his arm and let him guide me out of the dressing room. When we walk out the door, I see Jesse and Nina, each with their respective partners taking their respective positions as my bridesmaids. They both give me a thumbs up at my look and I blush faintly, my hold on Dad's arm tightening.

When the doors to the exquisite hall of Le Lion open, my heart completely stops when I see Vaughn through my veil. The feeling of Deja Vu kicks in and for a moment, I am paralyzed.

He is dressed in a stunning black tuxedo with a white shirt underneath. His hair is combed neatly backward and every edge of his face looks sharp. He looks so handsome that I feel my knees going weak with the realization that he is to be my life partner. As soon as his eyes fall on me, a corner lifts and he tries to force it down.